My escapades with Theresa ended with her fainting. I had to call Rita, the most trustworthy maid, to bring her back to her room. I also handed over a bottle of my blood.
Rita, Kongming…
That storyline has no chances of happening anymore. That Captainverse storyline involved Theresa as "Zhuge Kongming", with Rita serving as her rightful Minister. The Warring State-esque story spat out nothing but tragedies. Rita dies in that story. Kongming turns extreme; a vengeful Emperor who wants nothing but revenge.
Theresa's charisma as a leader and Rita's capabilities as an assistant was proven this time. Choosing them as the leaders of the Federation is the best call.
I sighed before opening the door to Sin's residence. I arrived at the living room and happened to see her remain seated. She hasn't forgotten about the task at hand—to let me see my brilliance through her eyes.
We worked in an impromptu method—the Sun-Moon Creation Art's mental link. It took two days to enter the preliminary stages. Only, we know it is not enough. The [Great Accomplishment] mastery is needed to succeed without a hitch.
To reach it, dual cultivation is a must.
I…
I don't want to guilt-trip others. To see them as cultivation resources. It's different if they take the initiative. That's why I am very conflicted with Sin's upcoming decision.
"How are things going?" I asked pre-emptively.
"...I am not sure if it will work."
The answer I anticipated came. Hesitation flashed in her eyes before it turned resolute. A tinge of pure excitement overflowed from those pupils.
"Let's do it. Dual cultivation."
"..."
I did not say anything, instead choosing to sit beside her. Sin's tall stature stemmed from her long legs. Her petite… flat build did nothing to hinder its development. Her black pants emphasized this feature of hers.
Her nervousness became apparent. She could not stay still. Her foot tapped the ground several times. The excitement in her eyes turned to unease.
It is, in the greatest sense, a very cute thing to do.
"Do you know its first step?"
"Hm? No…"
"A kiss."
I expected her to be thick-faced with all the young master lines she loved to speak of. The tinge of red flushed to her entire face.
Without any warning, I moved closer to her. The sudden close distance sent her jumping out of her seat. I let out a chuckle.
"See. It's not as simple as you may think. I don't want to see you forcing yourself."
"...A kiss. I want it."
Sin's face remained embarrassed when these bold words came out. Then, she closed her eyes. Her lips pouted outward, waiting in anticipation.
…
Why didn't I notice Sin's cute side sooner?
I didn't let her wait any further. My lips touched hers. Sin's eyes shot open. Her body tensed up. My arms wrapped around her back.
To my surprise, she took the initiative to take it further. She stuck out her slender tongue and pried my mouth open. Things were going in that direction when… she stopped.
I looked at her eyes. They are already closed.
She…
She fainted.
…
I ended up carrying Sin to her bedroom. I thought for a while and decided to leave her a letter. I look forward to her reaction later.
I glanced at the 'Innate Yin' I suppressed inside my integrated body and soul.
It's time to enter another long seclusion.
*****
Immortal cultivation's basis is spiritual qi. Earth has no shortage of spirit veins, removing this problem altogether. Mount Tai's overall concentration reached the eighth grade. Countless openings of the imaginary space fueled the conversion factor of [Two Phase Art]. The Sect also existed in an isolated spatial dimension. It is modified to withstand greater pressure from the imaginary space.
At the Sect Master's residence, spiritual qi surged non-stop.
'I knew this would happen…'
One hundred and twenty years had passed since Shi Tian's entry to seclusion. The accumulation of Sirin's absurdly enhanced Innate Yin, coupled with Tao Gifts, pushed him to the middle stage of Divine Transformation Realm. Seeing the 90% completion of the middle stage, he bit the bullet and went on with the seclusion.
In the end, Shi Tian succeeded. He reached the late stage of Divine Transformation Realm.
Endless power filled his body. His divine consciousness grew stronger.
Shi Tian thought of a plump red apple. Its information flashed in his mind. Moments later, a 'mortal' apple spawned out of nowhere.
He examined it closely.
'The molecular structure is the same. This… is an apple.'
A single thought spans life and death.
Such is the saying for the Divine Transformation Realm. Their 'status' placed them as high-dimensional beings. Interfering with reality in the third dimension is but a child's play, more so with Shi Tian's configuration.
He reached the level of 'Creation' after his fight against IX. He can fuse the Five Elements Yin, Five Elements Yang, Void, Yin-Yang, and Extremity to summon the Dao of All Creation. The leap of two minor realms pushed him closer to fully controlling it. Nevertheless, it is still a long journey for him.
'Two more minor realms…' He thought of continuing his seclusion. 'I ran out of hacks… fuel.'
The spiritual essence inside his [Chaos Furnace] had long been emptied. The cultivation speed of an ultimate grade spirit root remains insanely fast, but it will take another hundred years for a breakthrough. If the progress of others are factored in, however, it's a different matter.
'Twenty-one… It's still a hack.'
Shi Tian wholeheartedly accepted his cheater identity. During his seclusion, his partners broke through one after another. Some of them comprehended the sixth level Tao Heart. The ones who didn't took the route of pay-to-win to clear the inner demon tribulation.
This was twenty-one talented cultivators sharing their progress with him. Himeko and Rita had long raised her spirit root to the high grade. The closest to the ultimate grade was Kiana.
Using the Cocoon's influence, she and Sirin are nearing full progress at the middle stage. The rest are at the middle stage, too. The Tao Gifts they provided is an insane boost capable of bridging the gaps of minor realms.
With their help, it is not a problem to break through in less than fifty years.
Shi Tian would have chosen this option if not for the 'opportunity' he sensed with his Hexagram Spirit. The information he intercepted is explosive:
He would reach the pinnacle of the Divine Transformation Realm in one hundred years.
The higher the minor realm, the longer it takes to cultivate. His normal expected time was within another hundred and fifty years, if not two hundred. Cutting down one hundred years of effort is unimaginable.
Most importantly, two people made sacrifices once again.
'These two…'
He closed his eyes before heaving a sigh.
'Like Sirin… They did it too…'
With that, Shi Tian resolutely ended this round of seclusion.